The “Transform Don’t Trash Campaign” looks to increase good jobs, recycling, and justice in the commercial waste industry. All New Yorkers want to live and work in safe, healthy communities. New York City has taken steps in recent years to build the cleaner, more sustainable city we all want. Unfortunately, commercial waste continues to cause problems for local communities and workers, as well as the local environment, economy, and the city’s long-term sustainability.

UPROSE has monitored air quality and tracked truck activity around specific facilities and intersections in Sunset Park. The goal is to survey current conditions and capture information that can be leveraged to advance efforts to reduce health and environmental impacts from waste handling and other trucking intensive activities in EJ communities.  Specifically, we believe the collected data can help advance the Transform Don’t Trash Campaign and the capacity reduction legislation that has already been introduced at the City Council.

All of this is very important, especially with 1/3 of the Sunset Park community being under the age of 19, growing, breathing and living in the midst of the emissions created by waste hauler trucks. UPROSE is part of the TDT because its time we all start taking aggressive steps towards zero waste and that work begins in EJ communities like ours.